Before he became a science journalist, Palca earned a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Then he worked in TV and print journalism for 10 years before joining NPR in 1992, where he has covered a wide range of science topics. Palca’s latest project, “Joe’s Big Idea,” is a series of NPR stories exploring how ideas become innovations and inventions.

Palca has won many awards for science journalism, including the National Academies Communications Award, the Science-in-Society Award of the National Association of Science Writers and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Journalism Prize.

At NC State, Palca will discuss his transition from science to journalism, the science news cycle and the role of storytelling in communicating about science.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/03/joe-palca/feed/0Connect With NC State Earns Recognitionhttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/03/connect-with-nc-state-earns-recognition/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/03/connect-with-nc-state-earns-recognition/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 19:56:24 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=228591Connect with NC State, a web-based program designed to help employees develop a strong relationship with the university, has been recognized by the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

Connect won first place in ACUI’s Steal This Idea competition in digital campaign—professional staff and a grand award in CASE’s Southeast District 3 awards in programs and projects.

Created by the Staff Diversity Advisory Board, the Connect with NC State website was designed by John Starbuck, member of the board and web developer for Campus Enterprises. Starbuck dubbed it the “Employee Bucket List.”

Modeled after Student Government’s “52 Things To Do Before You Graduate,” the Connect with NC State website offers a larger list of activities and traditions that staff and faculty can participate in to nurture a sense of campus connection.

Connect with NC State is promoted to all new employees through orientation and employees are encouraged to participate in the program by the opportunity to win prizes such as football tickets with parking passes to each home game, performances sponsored by Arts NC State, tickets to the International Festival of Raleigh and clothing from the NC State bookstore.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/03/connect-with-nc-state-earns-recognition/feed/0Pizza Box Composting Soarshttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/03/pizza-box-composting-soars/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/03/pizza-box-composting-soars/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 19:43:06 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=228831In its inaugural year, the pizza box composting pilot program run by NC State’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Office and University Housing has collected more than 8,700 boxes in composting dumpsters located outside six select residence halls around campus.

That’s enough to reach the top of the Empire State Building.

The program, which started on March 1, 2014, tripled in scope during the year and its popularity is obvious by the bulging lids on most of the dumpsters.

“What started as two dumpsters last March quickly grew to six dumpsters,” said Lauren McKinnis, outreach coordinator for Waste Reduction and Recycling. “The project grew so quickly that it gained local and national attention and may inspire similar composting projects at other colleges and universities.”

Pizza boxes can’t be recycled because of lingering grease and cheese that usually ooze outside the crust and settle in the bottom of the box. Composting allows organic materials like boxes, paper plates, napkins and leftover crust—all of which are accepted in the composting dumpsters—to decompose into a nutrient-rich soil amendment.

Campus composting dumpsters are emptied weekly and sent to Brooks Contractor, an off-site compost facility that manages the process for the boxes to decompose into soil.

Students continue to have a vital role in the program’s success. Students from EcoVillage, an on-campus living and learning community committed to sustainable practices, have assisted in marketing the program, including designing and painting the dumpsters, hosting an educational pizza party and creating a promotional video.

As the program’s popularity continues to build, composting totals could surpass 10,000 boxes in its second year.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/03/pizza-box-composting-soars/feed/0Tracking Bald Eagles in Coastal North Carolinahttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/03/bald-eagle-tracking/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/03/bald-eagle-tracking/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 15:54:02 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=228481Few animals capture the public imagination like the bald eagle. But despite their status as a national emblem, we still have a lot to learn about their behavior in the wild. Now NC State researchers are part of a team that’s using state-of-the-art GPS transmitters and the Movebank animal tracking database to study bald eagle movements in coastal North Carolina.

Map of Yanchen’s movements. Image credit: Movebank. Click to enlarge.

The work is being led by NC State faculty Ted Simons, who is part of the NC Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Roland Kays, who has a joint appointment at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences.

The current project began with an immature bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), which was rescued by Dr. Joni Gnyp of the Cape Fear Raptor Center in 2014. The two-year-old female eagle, nicknamed “Yangchen,” was weak and emaciated when recovered – and subsequent analyses by Shea Tuberty at Appalachian State University indicated relatively high levels of zinc and lead in the bird’s blood.

After being nursed back to health, Yangchen was fitted with a 48-gram solar-powered GPS transmitter and released in early January 2015.

Since her release, Yangchen has moved between Wilmington and Albemarle Sound, focusing her activity near Bath and Aurora, North Carolina, where she is making extensive use of reclaimed phosphate pits and catfish ponds in the area.

Recent maps of the bird’s movements are available to the public and updated four times a day by Movebank. The scientists are hoping to track the immature bird to follow migratory movements, pair formation, and nesting behavior over the next several years.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/03/bald-eagle-tracking/feed/0The Environment May Change, But the Microbiome of Queen Bees Does Nothttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/03/tarpy-microbiome-2015/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/03/tarpy-microbiome-2015/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 11:02:08 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=228351Researchers from North Carolina State University, Indiana University and Wellesley College have characterized the gut microbiome of honey bee queens. This is the first thorough census of the gut microbiome – which consists of all the microorganisms that live in the gut of the organism – in queen bees.

“We found that the microbiome changes as the queen matures, but the microbiomes of different queens are very similar – regardless of the environment each queen is in,” says Dr. David Tarpy, a professor of entomology at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the work.

The research evaluated the gut fauna found in honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens at every point in their development, from the larval stage through their emergence as adults capable of reproduction. The researchers also assessed the gut microbiome of worker bees in each queen’s colony to see if there was any relationship between the microbiome of the workers and the microbiome of the queens. The study found that a queen’s microbiome does not change when placed in a new colony – and the colony’s microbiome doesn’t change either.

“There are large, commercial operations that produce thousands of queens each year for sale to professional and amateur beekeepers,” Tarpy says. “Up until now, nobody has really asked whether a queen’s microbiome changes when the queen is introduced into a new environment.

“It doesn’t – and that’s a good thing. Our findings tell us that beekeepers who replace their queens aren’t disrupting the microbiome of either the queen or the colony.”

The finding also opens the door to new areas of study – such as whether a queen’s microbiome could be manipulated to improve her health or reproductive success.

“Now that we know placing a queen in a new colony doesn’t change her microbiome, it makes sense to see if there is anything we can do to the microbiome to improve the queen’s chances of success,” says Dr. Heather Mattila, Knafel Assistant Professor of Natural Sciences at Wellesley College and a co-author of the paper.

Abstract: The European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is used extensively to produce hive products and for crop pollination, but pervasive concerns about colony health and population decline have sparked an interest in the microbial communities that are associated with these important insects. Currently, only the microbiome of workers has been characterized, while little to nothing is known about the bacterial communities that are associated with queens, even though their health and proper function is central to colony productivity. Here, we provide a large-scale analysis of the gut microbiome of honey bee queens, during their developmental trajectory and through the multiple colonies that host them as part of modern queen-rearing practices. We found that queen microbiomes underwent a dramatic shift in size and composition as they aged and encountered different worker populations and colony environments. Queen microbiomes were dominated by enteric bacteria in early life but were comprised primarily of α-proteobacteria at maturity. Furthermore, queen gut microbiomes did not reflect those of the workers who tended them and, indeed, they lacked many of the bacteria that are considered to be “core” to workers. While worker gut microbiotas were consistent across the unrelated colony populations sampled, the microbiotas of the related queens were highly variable. Bacterial communities in mature queen guts were similar in size to those of mature workers and were characterized by dominant and specific ?-proteobacterial strains known to be associated with worker hypopharyngeal glands. Our results suggest a model in which queen guts are colonized by bacteria from workers’ glands, in contrast with routes of maternal inoculation for other animal microbiomes.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/03/tarpy-microbiome-2015/feed/2Protections, Not Money, Can Boost Internal Corporate Whistleblowinghttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/03/taylor-reporting-2015/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/03/taylor-reporting-2015/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 11:00:02 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=228331New research from North Carolina State University and Bucknell University finds that strong, reliable anti-retaliation policies can encourage employees to notify internal authorities of possible wrongdoing, but that offering monetary incentives does not necessarily influence whistleblowing behavior – or at least not right away.

“The work supports the idea that companies who want to encourage internal reporting of wrongdoing should focus on developing and implementing anti-retaliation policies to protect whistleblowers,” says Dr. Eileen Taylor, co-author of a paper on the work and an associate professor of accounting at NC State.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has a whistleblower program designed to encourage and support people who report fraudulent practices at publicly traded companies. But companies want to find ways to get their employees to report problems internally, so that companies have a chance to address those problems before the SEC is notified.

“Managers want to know how to encourage internal whistleblowing,” Taylor says. “To see what was most effective, we evaluated two approaches used to encourage internal reporting: anti-retaliation policies and monetary payments made for reporting problems.”

The researchers surveyed 283 adults who were asked to respond as though they were employees of a company that appeared to be committing fraud. The participants were split into three groups: one in which there was no payment for reporting fraud; one in which employees received a percentage of their salary as payment for reporting fraud; and one in which employees received a percentage of the fraud reported as payment. Each of these three groups was then split in half: half of each group received no promise of protection from retaliation, while the other half were told they’d be protected from retaliation.

“Protection from retaliation made people significantly more likely to report possible wrongdoing,” Taylor says. “However, that was contingent largely on whether the employee trusted the company.

“Money, on the other hand, was not a significant factor in determining whether someone would report a problem.”

However, there was an interesting secondary effect regarding money.

After the first set of questions, all study participants were offered a much larger amount of money for reporting the fraud internally. Participants who were not offered money in the first place were no more likely to report. But both groups that had been offered money in the first set of questions (based on salary or the size of the fraud) were more likely to report the fraud when the amount of monetary compensation increased.

“This suggests that the initial offer of money for reporting framed reporting as an economic decision, rather than as an altruism decision – so when the money went up, they were more likely to report,” Taylor says.

“This tells me that companies should think twice before offering money to whistleblowers, since it may actually discourage reporting if employees deem the monetary benefit to be insufficient,” Taylor explains. “Instead, corporate managers should focus on ensuring that their companies have good – and trusted – anti-retaliatory measures in place.”

The paper, “Protect or Pay? Promoting Internal Whistleblowing,” was co-authored by Dr. Cynthia Guthrie of Bucknell. The paper will be presented at the 2015 Forensic Accounting Research Conference, March 13-14, in Denver, Colorado. The research was supported by NC State.

Abstract: Employee whistleblowing is responsible for detecting the largest percentage of occupational frauds, making it a critical concern for managers. Anti-retaliation measures and monetary incentives are two ways managers can encourage employees to report suspicions or observations of misconduct to internal channels. Results of a 2×3 experimental survey of 283 working US adults show that anti-retaliation policies significantly positively relate to internal whistleblowing, and that employee trust in the organization mediates and obligation to report partially mediates this relationship. Relatively low monetary awards, framed as compensation or as a reward, do not increase whistleblowing intentions, while relatively high payments, when offered after low payments, do significantly increase reporting likelihood. Results suggest that managers should focus on developing and enforcing anti-retaliation policies and tread lightly when considering the use of monetary incentives to incentivize whistleblowing.

The resolution asks members of the BOG “to articulate the rationale for their stated need for a ‘transition in leadership,’ a transition that implies a change in direction that has neither been discussed nor vetted with campus leadership, faculty, or the people of North Carolina.”

NC State’s Faculty Senate endorsed the resolution by a vote of 17 to 1 with one abstention.

Here’s the full text of the Faculty Assembly resolution:

Resolution Regarding the Transition in Leadership and Direction of the UNC SystemApproved by the UNC Faculty Assembly on January 24, 2015

Whereas:

Chairman John Fennebresque of the UNC System Board of Governors (BOG) in his press conference on 16th of January, 2015 suggested the need for a “transition in leadership” of the UNC system to move the University in new directions; and

Whereas:

The stated need for transition required the precipitous decision to replace Tom Ross as President of the University of North Carolina System; and

Whereas:

The UNC Faculty Assembly has observed President Tom Ross to exhibit exemplary, visionary and inclusive leadership of the UNC System; and,

Whereas:

President Tom Ross continues to lead the UNC System in the best interests of the University and all the people of the State of North Carolina, in a manner that:

Ensures access to the University system to all qualified students; and

Provides higher education to North Carolina’s citizens, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, in a manner that is “as free as practicable,” by developing and protecting financial aid and tuition structures; and

Attracts and retains the best faculty and staff for all UNC campuses; and

Builds a strong leadership team at the UNC General Administration that works effectively with the BOG to develop and support the capacity of individual campuses to fulfill their missions in the context of the system; and

Effectively manages the system’s complex budget during a period of drastically decreasing budgets; and

Strengthens campus leadership by selecting Chancellors committed to academic excellence and the respective missions of the system’s diverse campuses; and

Promotes a comprehensive liberal arts based education that prepares students for careers and lifelong learning; and

Whereas:

The UNC Faculty Assembly is deeply concerned that the precipitous decision to replace an acknowledged highly effective system leader will diminish the opportunities to attract and retain strong, effective and visionary leaders at all levels of the University system;

Therefore Be It Resolved:

That the Faculty Assembly of the University of North Carolina expresses its most sincere thanks and highest respect for the exemplary work and leadership of President Tom Ross; and,

Be It Further Resolved:

That the UNC Faculty Assembly strongly endorses the manner in which President Tom Ross continues to lead the University of North Carolina System; and

Be It Further Resolved:

That the UNC Faculty Assembly calls upon the Board of Governors to articulate the rationale for their stated need for a “transition in leadership,” a transition that implies a change in direction that has neither been discussed nor vetted with campus leadership, faculty, or the people of North Carolina.

Two weeks after black college students began conducting nonviolent sit-ins to protest segregation at the Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, King stood at the altar of a church in Durham and called for “a creative protest.” For the first time, he urged African-Americans to commit nonviolent civil disobedience, encouraging them to break unjust laws in pursuit of equality.

“Let us not fear going to jail,” he said at White Rock Baptist Church on Feb. 16, 1960. “If the officials threaten to arrest us for standing up for our rights, we must answer by saying that we are willing and prepared to fill up the jails of the South.”

King’s sermon has been at risk of being lost to history. No recording of it exists, and the church itself was bulldozed in the late 1960s to make way for the Durham Freeway. Gallagher and a group of colleagues in the digital humanities launched the Virtual MLK project to resurrect the speech, giving modern listeners a chance to hear King’s words as 1,200 people heard the original address in 1960.

The project has three phases, Gallagher said at an exhibition Feb. 23 at the Hunt Library. The first was a recreation of the sermon last summer, with voice actor Marvin Blanks delivering King’s words at the rebuilt White Rock Baptist Church. Nearly 250 people attended the June 2014 event, including some who had heard the original sermon in 1960.

Victoria Gallagher and her colleagues are bringing King’s historic speech to life.

Gallagher and her team captured Blanks’ reading to feed the second phase of the project: a multimedia website combining archival photos with pictures, audio and video from the June 2014 recreation. The team placed microphones throughout the church to gather sound from several perspectives: just in front of the altar, deep in the church balcony and in the middle of the congregation.

In phase three, the sermon will come to life in a digital recreation incorporating the June 2014 sound and video, as well as three-dimensional renderings of the interior of the original White Rock Baptist Church sanctuary. The model for Gallagher’s vision is colleague John Wall’s reconstruction of a 17th-century John Donne sermon, which has been nominated for a Digital Humanities Award.

Once the Virtual MLK Project is finished, listeners will be able to stand in an architecturally accurate digital recreation of the old White Rock Baptist Church. They’ll be immersed in King’s speech, hearing it just as a child in the church balcony or an elderly woman in the front row did.

Interdisciplinary research projects such as Gallagher’s, Wall’s and a new effort to recreate Queen Victoria’s Buckingham Palace garden put NC State at the forefront of the digital humanities. They bring together faculty and students from English, architecture and computer science to recreate lost times and places, using cutting-edge technology and experiential education to enhance our understanding of history.

The NC State creamery, makers of Howling Cow ice cream, developed a special flavor for this weekend’s 10th annual Hoops 4 Hope game, when the NC State women’s basketball team hosts nationally ranked Duke in a game that tips off at noon Sunday in Reynolds Coliseum.

Kay Yow Pink Peppermint Chocolate Chip ice cream will be available on the concourse prior to the game and through halftime for $3 a scoop. All proceeds go to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

The ice cream was developed by the creamery with approval from NC State athletics director Debbie Yow, the younger sister of Kay Yow, the Hall of Fame Wolfpack women’s basketball coach who passed away after a long bout with cancer in 2009.

Howling Cow’s special flavor, a variation of its popular mint chocolate chip, has big chunks of high-grade chocolate, is flavored with peppermint and is turned pink with natural beet juice.

Carl Hollifield (left) and NC State women’s head coach Wes Moore.

So, really, calorie counters, consider this both a daily vegetable and a dessert.

Wolfpack head coach Wes Moore, his staff and Kay Yow Cancer Fund executive director Sue Dohonue and her staff sampled the new flavor Friday morning at the creamery in Schaub Hall before taking a tour of the production facility.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/wow-yow-howling-cow/feed/1NC State Creates Our Three Winners Scholarship Fundhttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/our-three-winners-scholarship/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/our-three-winners-scholarship/#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 16:45:33 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=226141NC State University Chancellor Randy Woodson today announced the creation of the “Our Three Winners” scholarship endowment to honor three exceptional members of the Wolfpack family whose lives were cut tragically short.

The endowment, which has been created with insights and advice from family members, will provide annual support to students in NC State’s Poole College of Management, College of Sciences and College of Design.

Deah Barakat, 23, graduated with honors from NC State in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and was a dentistry student at UNC-Chapel Hill. His wife of six weeks, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, graduated from NC State last fall with a bachelor’s in biological sciences and had recently been accepted into Carolina’s dentistry program. Yusor’s sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, was a sophomore in the College of Design majoring in architecture. Each was devoted to sharing their vast, caring potential locally and with the global community.

NC State is contributing institutional funds to launch the endowment and actively seeks donations from the Wolfpack and larger community to grow the fund. Instructions on how to contribute are provided below.

“Deah, Yusor and Razan exemplified the best of NC State and will forever serve as role models for our student body,” Woodson said. “Each was not only an outstanding student, but individually and as a family lived their lives bringing joy to others, helping those in need and making the world a better place.”

Woodson hopes this effort will honor in perpetuity the memories of the three avid and active members of the Wolfpack, while also highlighting the importance of acceptance, support and inclusion. Scholarship recipients will be selected on their demonstration of leadership, service and creativity.

“Deah, Yusor and Razan made a tremendous difference in our community and across the globe in their short time on this earth,” Woodson said. “We hope to always remember and honor their lives. We also intend this scholarship to be a permanent reminder that NC State must always hold as a core value a respect for diversity in all its forms and strive to maintain an environment where everyone feels safe, respected and valued.”

Through stories, testimonies and videos that have been shared at vigils and spread via social media, it is clear that Deah, Yusor and Razan lived their lives dedicated to helping others.

The three raised money to help Syrian refugees in Turkey. The week before their deaths they helped feed the homeless in downtown Durham. The three also were actively engaged in building an Interfaith Habitat for Humanity home in Wake County, bringing together Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Hindu faiths to build low-cost housing for families in need. Their lives had a worldwide impact, as more than 300 vigils were held in their memories in New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and around the world.

Even as he won the nationally televised NBA Three-Point Shooting Contest last weekend, Davidson College alumnus Stephen Curry—Deah’s favorite basketball player—paid tribute to the three family members by writing “#CurryFORDEAH” and “#RIPDeah”on his shoes.

“Once I got to know his story, and who he was, it seemed right to honor him and his family, to let them know we are thinking about him and give them some kind of peace and comfort,” Curry said. “I wanted to use this platform to share their story.”

Gifts to the “Our Three Winners” Scholarship Fund can be made through the NC State website or by check with “Our Three Winners” in the memo line c/o Our Three Winners, Campus Box 7474, Raleigh, N.C. 27695-7474.

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]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/our-three-winners-scholarship/feed/1Our Three Winners Fund Announcedhttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/our-three-winners-fund-feature/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/our-three-winners-fund-feature/#commentsThu, 19 Feb 2015 14:22:33 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=225831An outpouring of support has flowed into Raleigh from all over the world since the promising lives of three exceptional members of the Wolfpack family were cut short last week.

To honor the example set by married alumni Deah Barakat and Yusor Abu-Salha and sophomore architecture student Razan Abu-Salha, NC State is creating an endowed scholarship fund in their memories.

Support the Our Three Winners Fund

Gifts to the fund endowment will honor Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha and Razan Abu-Salha by enabling future NC State students to carry their legacies forward.

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Chancellor Randy Woodson announced Friday that the endowment, called the Our Three Winners Fund, will award scholarships in the three students’ names through the Poole College of Management, the College of Sciences and the College of Design, in perpetuity. NC State will seed the endowment with initial funds and additional contributions can be made online. The scholarships will be awarded to students distinguished for their leadership, service and creativity — traits that defined the three lost members of the university community.

Chancellor Randy Woodson, surrounded by members of the Barakat and Abu-Salha families, announces the Our Three Winners Fund on Friday.

“Deah, Yusor and Razan exemplified the best of NC State and will forever serve as role models for our student body,” Woodson said. “Each was not only an outstanding student, but individually and as a family they lived their lives bringing joy to others, helping those in need and making the world a better place.”

The endowment fund was announced at a news conference Friday at the Park Alumni Center by Woodson and members of the families affected by the shooting that garnered worldwide coverage.

“This is our first blessing, our first moment of happiness after the tragedy,” said Mohammad Abu-Salha, father of Razan and Yusor.

Three Bright Lights

Tributes streamed in from across the nation and around the world, but words and remembrances from local friends and family of the three Raleigh natives who attended hometown high schools and their hometown university provided comfort to the families.

Deah, a graduate of Broughton High School, earned a degree in business management from the Poole College of Management before enrolling at UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Dentistry. Sisters Yusor and Razan graduated from Athens Drive High School and enrolled at NC State. Yusor graduated in December with a degree in biological sciences from the College of Sciences and was set to join her husband at UNC’s dental school in the fall. Razan was a sophomore majoring in the College of Design’s architecture program.

In prayer vigils in Chapel Hill and Raleigh and on the “Our Three Winners” Facebook page started by Deah’s brother and fellow NC State graduate Farris Barakat, friends and family remembered the three bright lights from the NC State community for their dedication to service and their promotion of peace through Muslim and interfaith worship communities. Many stories, testimonies and videos have made it clear that Deah, Yusor and Razan lived their lives dedicated to helping others in need and bringing joy to everyone around them.

“Deah, Yusor and Razan made a tremendous difference in our community and across the globe in their short time on this earth,” Woodson said. “We hope to always remember and honor their lives through the Our Three Winners Fund.

“We also intend this scholarship to be a forever reminder that NC State must always hold as a core value a respect for diversity in all its forms and strive to maintain an environment where everyone feels safe, respected and valued.”

A Legacy of Service

The reach of the three students’ shortened lives was both local and global, through their work with Habitat for Humanity of Wake County’s Interfaith Build, their work with the homeless of Durham and Deah’s planned service trip to Turkey this summer to provide free dental services to Syrian refugees.

They even captured the attention of one of basketball’s biggest stars, Golden State Warriors guard and Davidson alum Steph Curry, Deah’s favorite basketball player. At last weekend’s NBA All-Star Game and in his winning performance during the Three-Point Shooting Contest, Curry wrote on his shoes #CurryFORDEAH and #RIPDEAH.

“Once I got to know his story and who he was, it seemed right to honor him and his family, to let them know we are thinking about him and give them some kind of peace and comfort,” Curry said. “I wanted to use this platform to share their story.”

Although the families of the three outstanding young people are seeking justice for their deaths, more than anything they want people to remember the three for the good they did, not the hate that ended their lives. NC State’s Our Three Winners Fund is intended to find future students who will continue the good that Deah, Yusor and Razan were committed to doing.

“The message that we want to share is spread love, spread awareness, because these three people were nothing but love and kindness,” said Deah’s older sister, Suzanne Barakat, a San Francisco physician. “I’m sure they would want you to continue that for them.”

Razan Abu-Salha, sophomore, College of Design

“In the spirit of celebrating a life and a legacy, she will leave with us that gentle spirit and the determination to make this a better place for everyone. There is no better legacy than that. It’s that legacy that will help us be more creative and more determined.”

— Marvin Malecha, dean of the College of Design

Deah Barakat, NC State alumnus; student at UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry

“He wanted to be a beacon of light for people, and he really was. Even death couldn’t stop all the good that he was doing.”

— Mohammad Moussa, Deah’s friend and fellow NC State alumnus

Yusor Abu-Salha, NC State alumnus; admitted to UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry for fall 2015

“I remember when she got engaged, she ran into my office to show me her ring. She’d stop by to talk about an article she read, her wedding plans, her classes. She was quietly intelligent and humble. She was empathic.”

— Lisa Parks, associate professor of biological sciences

How to Give

Contributions can be made securely online at go.ncsu.edu/ourthreewinners. Checks made out to Our Three Winners fund may be sent to: Our Three Winners, Campus Box 7474, Raleigh, NC 27695-7474.

For all other inquiries about honoring the lives and legacies of Deah, Yusor and Razan, contact Laurie Reinhardt-Plotnik, associate vice chancellor for development, at ljreinha@ncsu.edu or 919-515-9086.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/our-three-winners-fund-feature/feed/27Race Raises Dough for Children’s Hospitalhttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/2015-kkc/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/2015-kkc/#commentsThu, 19 Feb 2015 14:12:32 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=226011The Krispy Kreme Challenge, an annual race that combines fresh air, funny costumes and an excuse to eat a dozen doughnuts, came off without a hitch last Saturday. The student-organized event has raised more than $950,000 for North Carolina Children’s Hospital over the years.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/2015-kkc/feed/0Study: 25 Percent of Children Who Are Homeless Need Mental Health Serviceshttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/haskett-homeless-2015/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/haskett-homeless-2015/#commentsThu, 19 Feb 2015 11:07:49 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=225541A pilot study in Wake County, North Carolina, finds that 25 percent of children who are homeless are in need of mental health services. The study, conducted by researchers at North Carolina State University and Community Action Targeting Children who are Homeless (CATCH), highlights the need for more screening and support for the millions of homeless children in the United States.

“These children have often been exposed to domestic or neighborhood violence, chronic poverty, inadequate healthcare and other circumstances that place any child at risk of mental health problems,” says Dr. Mary Haskett, a professor of psychology at NC State and lead author of a paper on the research.

“As a result of their exposure to those difficult life circumstances – combined with living in a shelter – homeless children are at a much greater risk of developmental delays, social and emotional problems, and problems at school,” says Jenna Armstrong, a Ph.D. student at NC State and co-author of the paper. “And the scale of the problem is huge.” A 2014 report from the National Center on Family Homelessness found that 2.5 million children are homeless each year in the U.S.

“Our research was aimed at defining the scope of the problem and determining whether screening children at homeless shelters could be a valuable tool for connecting families with resources to help meet a child’s mental health needs,” Armstrong says.

The researchers drew on data from CATCH, a Salvation Army-funded project that works with homeless families at 11 shelters in Wake County to address the mental health needs of children. The CATCH project screens children who enter the shelters, assessing each child’s development and social-emotional functioning.

Haskett and Armstrong evaluated screening data on 328 children, who were between two months and six years old.

“We found that 25 percent of the children in shelters needed mental health services, based on their social-emotional functioning,” Armstrong says. “This rate is certainly much, much higher than in the general population.” For purposes of comparison, Columbia University’s National Center for Children in Poverty reports that social and emotional problems impair 10 to 14 percent of U.S. children from birth to age five.

The researchers also found that school-age children, between five and six years old, also performed well below average on language and academic skills. This affected both boys and girls, though boys performed significantly worse than girls in both areas of functioning.

“Children in shelters are often overlooked – they’re basically invisible,” Armstrong says. “But these findings highlight the importance of providing resources to meet the needs of these children. Twenty-five percent of 2.5 million is 625,000. So, we’re talking about 625,000 children who need mental health support every year in the United States. We, as a society, can’t afford to let these kids down.”

“Developmental Status and Social–Emotional Functioning of Young Children Experiencing Homelessness”

Authors: Mary E. Haskett and Jenna Montgomery Armstrong, North Carolina State University; Jennifer Tisdale, Community Action Targeting Children who are Homeless

Published: online Feb. 19, Early Childhood Education Journal

DOI: 10.1007/s10643-015-0691-8

Abstract: The developmental status and social–emotional functioning of young children who are homeless has received inadequate attention in spite of high rates of homelessness among families with young children and the potentially negative impact of homelessness and associated stressors on children’s well-being. The aim of this study was to gain understanding of homeless children’s social–emotional adjustment and their functioning in language, motor, and cognitive skills. We also examined gender and age differences in those areas of development. The sample included 328 children residing with their parents in one of 11 emergency shelter or transitional housing programs for families who were experiencing homelessness in a central NC county. Child case managers administered the Brigance Early Childhood Screen II and the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Socioemotional form in the shelter setting. Findings indicated variability in competence among the children, with some children performing above average on the developmental screening and demonstrating few social–emotional problems. However, developmental scores for overall functioning of the sample were significantly below the norming group, with particularly low functioning in language and communication skills. Parents of 24.8% of the children had substantial concerns about their children’s mental health status. Although there are individual differences in adjustment of children experiencing homelessness, results support wide-scale screening and access to early intervention for these vulnerable children. Future investigations could be directed to identifying factors associated with resilience among children without homes.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/haskett-homeless-2015/feed/3A Decade of Hopehttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/a-decade-of-hope/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/a-decade-of-hope/#commentsWed, 18 Feb 2015 22:53:51 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=225411The 10th annual Hoops 4 Hope, an NC State women’s basketball game to raise cancer awareness and funds for research, is slated for Sunday, when the Wolfpack Women host nationally ranked Duke at Reynolds Coliseum. Tipoff is set for noon.

All funds raised at the event will go to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, including the proceeds from a specially created Howling Cow flavor, Kay Yow Pink Peppermint Ice Cream.

The brainchild of and now the legacy for Hall of Fame basketball coach Kay Yow, Hoops 4 Hope was initially her way of sharing strength and celebration with other cancer survivors, who march onto the court during halftime. It has evolved into one of the top events on the campus calendar. Other basketball teams and other sports have replicated the Hoops 4 Hope model and across the country it is called Play 4 Kay.

To date, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund has contributed more than $3.9 million in grants to fund scientific research for all women’s cancers. The fund has also worked closely with Rex Healthcare to fund The Coach, the only mobile digital mammography unit in Wake County.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/a-decade-of-hope/feed/0Keep Warm, but Remain Frugalhttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/keep-warm-but-remain-frugal/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/keep-warm-but-remain-frugal/#commentsWed, 18 Feb 2015 22:24:37 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=225331Yo, Elsa: The cold does bother some of us quite a lot.

So much so that, according to NC State’s facilities operations, low temperatures on Thursday and Friday will cause an unusually high demand for energy to heat campus buildings. The extreme cold temperatures being forecast for Thursday and Friday are well beyond design conditions and will challenge both the university’s and Duke Energy’s power delivery systems.

To help maintain heating capacity on campus and power supply in the region, please limit non-essential campus energy use through the end of the week.

A few tips from operations:

Turn off and unplug office equipment, appliances and lab equipment that are not vital or not in use.

Ensure all exterior windows and doors are closed.

Turn off lights in rooms that are not in use.

Shut off space heaters.

Close lab fume hood sashes whenever access to the hood interior is not necessary.

These actions will save energy on campus and help maintain reliable heating and power supply during extreme conditions.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/keep-warm-but-remain-frugal/feed/0NC State Adds Billions to State and Local Economieshttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/economic-impact/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/economic-impact/#commentsWed, 18 Feb 2015 20:45:23 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=225231A new economic impact study commissioned for the 16 colleges and universities in the University of North Carolina system shows that NC State University packs a tremendous economic punch for Wake County, the Triangle region and the state.

During the 2012-13 fiscal year, NC State and its various enterprises created $6.5 billion in added income to the North Carolina economy, including $4.8 billion in income for the 13-county regional economy and $3.3 billion in Wake County income. Counties included in the regional analysis include Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Orange, Person, Vance, Wake and Warren.

The study estimates that the added $6.5 billion to the statewide economy is approximately equal to 1.5 percent of the gross state product and equivalent to creating 91,505 new jobs. The $4.8 billion in regional income is 4.4 percent of the gross regional product for the region and is equivalent to creating 59,237 new jobs. Similarly, the $3.3 billion in added county income is about 6.1 percent of the county’s gross regional product and is equivalent to creating 44,538 new jobs.

“This study shows what we’ve known for many years: Our public universities provide a staggering impact to the local and state economies and are primary drivers of growth across North Carolina,” said NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson. “Every taxpayer dollar that comes in to NC State yields nearly $4 of return on investment in the form of research advancements, new technologies, new companies, the most-prepared graduates and jobs waiting for them.”

The study, conducted by Economic Modeling Specialists International, examines a variety of factors to produce what is arguably the most comprehensive picture of the UNC system’s economic impact ever undertaken. See a fact sheet on NC State’s economic value.

The study captures return on investment to students, society and taxpayers as well as nine different economic impact values.

The report shows that for every dollar that society spent on education at NC State throughout the 2012-13 fiscal year, it gains $9 in added state income and societal savings, for as long as the 2012-13 NC State students remain active in the North Carolina workforce. For every dollar spent by taxpayers, they gain $3.80 in added taxes and public sector savings.

Alumni impact, or the accumulated contributions of former NC State students currently employed in the North Carolina workforce, amounted to $4.2 billion in added state income to the state’s economy, which is equivalent to creating 67,465 new jobs. Alumni impact totaled $2.3 billion of the $4.8 billion in additional income in the region and $1.5 billion of the $3.3 billion of additional income in Wake County.

NC State fosters innovation and entrepreneurship, evidenced by its number of startup companies. In Fiscal Year 2012-13, startup companies related to the university created $1.2 billion in added state income for the North Carolina economy, which is equivalent to creating 5,799 jobs. Business startup impact was also a potent economic driver in both the region and Wake County. Startup companies related to NC State created $1.1 billion in added regional income and $471.1 million in added county income.

“We embrace our responsibility to create economic, societal and intellectual prosperity across North Carolina,” Woodson said. “And we will continue working to provide research solutions to our most intractable problems, a trained workforce for the jobs of tomorrow and service to benefit those most in need.”

About 19 percent of NC State’s graduate and undergraduate students are from outside the state. The expenditures of these students who relocated to the state during the analysis year added approximately $60 million in state income for the North Carolina economy. About 71 percent of NC State’s resident students came from outside Wake County in 2012-13, while 60 percent came from outside the 13-county region surrounding the university. Their relocation to Wake County and the corresponding expenditures on rent, groceries, transportation and the like added $133 million to the regional economy and $126 million to the county economy.

Out-of-state visitors attracted to North Carolina for activities at NC State brought new dollars to the economy through their spending at hotels, restaurants and other businesses. Visitor spending added approximately $17.6 million in state income to the North Carolina economy. Spending by those who live in North Carolina but came from outside the county and region to attend an NC State activity added $26.8 million to the regional economy and $26.5 million to the Wake County economy.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/economic-impact/feed/0CNN Money Lauds NC State Innovatorshttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/cnn-money-lauds-nc-state-innovators/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/cnn-money-lauds-nc-state-innovators/#commentsWed, 18 Feb 2015 18:17:52 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=224891Kudos to CNN Money for highlighting “5 startups that are reimagining the world.” And kudos to NC State for driving the innovation behind three of the five.

Matt Tomasulo, who earned a master’s of landscape architecture in 2012, is working to get people walking in cities from Santa Fe, N.M., to Atlantic Beach, N.C. His startup, Walk [Your City], has sold more than 5,000 customized signs that say things like, “It’s a 12-minute walk to downtown” or, “It’s a 5-minute walk to the library.”

While working as a teaching fellow in architecture at NC State, Ginger Dosier discovered a type of bacteria that turns into cement when mixed with sand, nutrients and calcium. Her startup, BioMASON, is marketing an environmentally friendly alternative to kiln-fired bricks.

A group of NC State alumni, including Ryan Chan and Scott Bolin, founded Tethis, a startup that has licensed an NC State technology that could make industrial wastewater reusable.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/cnn-money-lauds-nc-state-innovators/feed/0Creative Work Wins Top Honorshttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/creative-work-wins-top-honors/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/creative-work-wins-top-honors/#commentsWed, 18 Feb 2015 16:45:43 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=224601NC State’s marketing and communications work earned 19 awards this week at a conference for university advancement professionals. The awards were presented in Orlando, Fla., at the annual conference for the southeast region of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, a professional organization with more than 78,000 members representing 3,600 schools in 77 countries.

Here’s a complete list of NC State’s award winners:

Overall Best Practices

Best Article of the YearAward of ExcellenceReaping a Healthy Harvest – Results magazine
University Communications and the Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Development

Excellence in PhotographyAward of ExcellenceState of State
University Communications

Programs and Projects

Branding/Identity Program or CampaignSpecial Merit AwardNC Brand Refresh
University Communications

Advertising

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/creative-work-wins-top-honors/feed/0Brace Yourself: Study Finds People Can Use Different Strategies to Prepare for Stresshttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/neupert-coping-2015/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/neupert-coping-2015/#commentsWed, 18 Feb 2015 15:57:27 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=224621A pilot study from North Carolina State University finds that people are not consistent in how they prepare mentally to deal with arguments and other stressors, with each individual displaying a variety of coping behaviors. In addition, the study found that the coping strategies people used could affect them the following day.

The findings stem from a pilot study of older adults, which is the first to track the day-to-day coping behaviors people use in advance of stressful events.

“This finding tells us, for the first time, that these behaviors are dynamic,” says Dr. Shevaun Neupert, lead author of a paper describing the study and an associate professor of psychology at NC State. “This highlights a whole new area for researching the psychology of daily health and well-being.

“And these are behaviors that can be taught,” Neupert adds. “The more we understand what’s really going on, the better we’ll be able to help people deal effectively with the stressors that come up in their lives.”

To learn more about how older adults prepare themselves mentally ahead of stressful events, the researchers developed a pilot study of 43 adults between the ages of 60 and 96.

Participants were asked to fill out a daily questionnaire on their activities and feelings – including whether anything stressful had happened – on the current day. Participants were also asked to predict whether they expected there to be a stressful event the following day, and how they were preparing for it. The participants were asked to complete the questionnaire on eight consecutive days. The researchers ultimately had data on 380 days, since some participants missed reporting days.

“The reporting was done using very specific questions with clearly defined metrics, such as ranking how stressed they felt on a scale of one to five,” Neupert explains. The questionnaires also asked participants the extent to which they were engaging in specific behaviors associated with coping with upcoming potential stressors.

The results found that people used different coping behaviors to prepare for different stressors, and that those coping behaviors changed from day to day.

“The findings tell us that one person may use multiple coping mechanisms over time – something that’s pretty exciting since we didn’t know this before,” Neupert says. “But we also learned that what you do on Monday really makes a difference for how you feel on Tuesday.”

Some anticipatory coping behaviors, particularly outcome fantasy and stagnant deliberation, were associated with people being in worse moods and reporting more physical health problems the following day. Stagnant deliberation is when someone tries, unsuccessfully, to solve a problem. Outcome fantasy is when someone wishes that problem would effectively solve itself.

However, stagnant deliberation was also associated with one positive outcome. Namely, stagnant deliberation the day before an argument was correlated with fewer memory failures after the argument.

The researchers also looked at plan rehearsal and problem analysis as anticipatory coping strategies. Plan rehearsal involves mentally envisioning the steps needed to solve the potential problem, and problem analysis is actively thinking about the source and meaning of a future problem. The researchers found that the use of these strategies changed from day to day, but the changes in these strategies were not related to well-being the next day. They were also not related to the way that people responded to arguments the next day.

“This was a pilot study, so we don’t want to get carried away,” Neupert says. “But these findings are very intriguing. They raise a lot of questions, and we’re hoping to follow up with a much larger study.”

Abstract: Objectives. The present study examined the day-to-day fluctuation of state-like anticipatory coping (coping employed prior to stressors) and how these coping processes relate to important outcomes for older adults (i.e., physical health, affect, memory failures). Method. Forty-three older adults aged 60-96 (M = 74.65, SD = 8.19) participated in an 8-day daily diary study of anticipatory coping, stressors, health, affect, and memory failures. Participants reported anticipatory coping behaviors on one day with respect to six distinct stressor domains that could occur the following day. Results. Multilevel models indicated that anticipatory coping changes from day to day and within stressor domains. Lagged associations suggested that yesterday’s anticipatory coping for potential upcoming arguments is related to today’s physical health and affect. Increased Stagnant Deliberation is associated with reduced cognitive reactivity (i.e., fewer memory failures) to arguments the next day. Discussion. Taken together, these findings suggest that anticipatory coping is dynamic and associated with important daily outcomes.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/neupert-coping-2015/feed/7On the Rhodes Againhttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/on-the-rhodes-again/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/on-the-rhodes-again/#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 21:42:37 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=224461Harrison Rhodes is a business major at NC State, so he’s learning the art of making a deal.

The junior from High Point is a fulltime student during the week, but for the next nine months he’ll also spend every weekend as a fulltime driver on the Xfinity Series, one of NASCAR’s top three professional circuits.

He headed to Daytona, Florida, Monday afternoon to get ready for racing’s biggest weekend, when 20 million eyes turn toward the Sunshine State with speed on their minds.

Rhodes saw limited action the last two years as a part-time driver on what used to be called the Nationwide circuit, making 13 total starts. Last July, he filled in during the EnjoyIllinois.com 300 at the Chicagoland Speedway for injured Jeffrey Earnhardt, grandson of racing legend Dale Earnhardt. Driving Earnhardt’s car, owned by JD Motorsports of Gaffney, S.C., Rhodes finished 24th in the race.

“It was the best equipment I’ve ever driven,” Rhodes says.

A fulltime ride

Harrison Rhodes will compete in the No. 0 car for JD Motorsports.

When JD Motorsports decided to add a third driver to its team during the offseason, it called on Rhodes, who impressed owner Johnny Davis during his brief time in Earnhardt’s seat. He’ll drive the No. 0 car this weekend in the Alert Today Florida 300 on Saturday in the Xfinity’s season-opening race.

It’s his second time racing in Daytona. Last year, Rhodes qualified 15th for the 300-mile race, but his engine blew early in the race and he did not finish.

Rhodes is a rarity in NASCAR circles. Only a few drivers, including Purdue-graduate and 17-time Sprint Cup Series winner Ryan Newman, have earned college degrees. Few fulltime college students have been able to race and study at the same time.

“My professors have been willing to work with me to adjust my schedule,” Rhodes says. “I know I’m going to miss some days. For the most part, they have been very accommodating.”

This is a rendering of the suit Rhodes will wear at most of his races this season.

Selling the brand

As he prepares for a full season of racing, Harrison is getting an idea of just how important his business degree will be as he pursues his lifelong dream to be a Sprint Cup driver. He’s spent the last several months negotiating deals, attending meetings, working the phones and pounding the pavement looking for sponsors for his car.

“It’s a big business, and sometimes I get to drive,” Rhodes says.

He’s quite proud of one new sponsor he reeled in for the season–his alma mater. Rhodes will wear a well-branded NC State racing suit with the school’s logo on the back, chest, sleeves and legs.

#PackontheTrack

So, while NC State has been heavily involved in racing for years—with announcers, engineers, pit-crew chiefs and other affiliated roles—this season it will be actually on the track, too.

That will put NC State, the largest school in the UNC system, in front of one of the state’s biggest industries on a weekly basis. Ninety percent of all NASCAR teams are located in North Carolina and more than 25,000 people work in motorsports or related businesses. Many of them are NC State-educated engineers. The overall economic impact, according to the North Carolina motorsports association, is in excess of $6 billion.

“I’m looking forward to putting the Pack on the track,” Rhodes says.

Hmmmm. Sounds like a good hashtag.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/on-the-rhodes-again/feed/8Researchers Synthesize Material for Efficient Plasmonic Devices in Mid-Infrared Rangehttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/maria-mid-ir-plasmonics-2015/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/maria-mid-ir-plasmonics-2015/#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 16:01:47 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=223451A research team led by North Carolina State University has identified and synthesized a material that can be used to create efficient plasmonic devices that respond to light in the mid-infrared (IR) range. This is the first time anyone has demonstrated a material that performs efficiently in response to this light range, and it has applications in fields ranging from high-speed computers, to solar energy to biomedical devices.

At issue is a phenomenon called surface plasmon resonance. This is when researchers illuminate the interface between a conducting and an insulating material. If the angle, polarization, and wavelength of the incoming light are just right, electrons in the conductor begin oscillating. This oscillation creates an intense electric field extending into the insulator that can be used in everything from biomedical sensors to solar cells or opto-electronic devices.

The wavelength of light that causes these oscillations depends on the nature of the conductive material. Materials with a high density of free electrons (like metals) respond to short wavelengths of light, such as those in the ultraviolet range. Materials with lower electron density (like conventional semiconductors) respond to long wavelengths of light, such as those in the far IR. But until now, there was a huge gap – scientists were unable to identify materials that could support efficient surface plasmon resonance when targeted with wavelengths of light in the mid-IR range (i.e., between 1,500 and 4,000 wavenumbers).

“There are at least three practical reasons for wanting to identify materials that exhibit surface plasmon resonance in response to mid-IR light,” says Dr. Jon-Paul Maria, corresponding author of a paper on the work and a professor of materials science and engineering at NC State.

“First, it could make solar harvesting technology more efficient by taking advantage of the mid-IR wavelengths of light – that light wouldn’t be wasted. Second, it would allow us to develop more sophisticated molecular sensing technology for use in biomedical applications. And third, it would allow us to develop faster, more efficient opto-electronic devices,” Maria says.

“We’ve now synthesized such a material, and shown that it effectively exhibits low-loss surface plasmon resonance in the mid-IR range,” Maria says. In other words, it efficiently converts mid-IR light into oscillating electrons.

Specifically, the research team has “doped” cadmium oxide with a rare earth element called dysprosium, meaning that a tiny amount of dysprosium has been added to cadmium oxide without changing the material’s crystal structure.

This does two things. First, it creates free electrons in the material. Second, it increases the mobility of the electrons. Overall, this makes it easier for mid-IR light to induce oscillations in the electrons efficiently.

“Usually when you dope a material, electron mobility goes down,” Maria says. “But in this case we found the opposite – more dysprosium doping increases this critical characteristic. In technical terms, our experiments revealed that Dy-doping reduces the number of oxygen vacancies in a CdO crystal. Oxygen vacancies, which correspond to locations where oxygen atoms are missing, are strong electron scatterers and interfere with electron motion. In the most basic terms, by removing these defects, electrons scatter less and become more mobile.”

The paper, “Dysprosium doped cadmium oxide: A gateway material for mid-infrared plasmonics,” was published online Feb. 16 in Nature Materials. The lead author of the paper is Edward Sachet, a Ph.D. student at NC State. Co-authors include Christopher Shelton, Joshua Harris, Benjamin Gaddy, and Drs. Doug Irving and Stefan Franzen of NC State; Dr. Stefano Curtarolo of Duke University; Brian Donovan and Dr. Patrick Hopkins of the University of Virginia; and Drs. Peter Sharma, Ana Lima Sharma, and Jon Ihlefeld of Sandia National Laboratories.

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation under grants CHE-1112017 and DMR-1151568, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under grant FA9550-14-1-0067, and the Office of Naval Research under grant N00014-13-4-0528.

Abstract: The interest in plasmonic technologies surrounds many emergent optoelectronic applications, such as plasmon lasers, transistors, sensors, and information storage. While plasmonic materials for UV-VIS and near infrared wavelengths have been found, the mid-infrared range remains a challenge to address: few known systems can achieve subwavelength optical confinement with low loss in this range. With a combination of experiments and ab-initio modeling, here we demonstrate an extreme peak of electron mobility in Dy-doped CdO that is achieved through accurate “defect equilibrium engineering.” In so doing, we create a tunable plasmon host that satisfies the criteria for mid-infrared spectrum plasmonics, and overcomes the losses seen in conventional plasmonic materials. In particular, extrinsic doping pins the CdO Fermi level above the conduction band minimum and it increases the formation energy of native oxygen vacancies, thus reducing their populations by several orders of magnitude. The substitutional lattice strain induced by Dy-doping is sufficiently small, allowing mobility values around 500 cm2/V·s for carrier densities above 1020/cm3. Our work shows that CdO:Dy is a model system for intrinsic and extrinsic manipulation of defects affecting electrical, optical, and thermal properties, that oxide conductors are ideal candidates for plasmonic devices and that the defect engineering approach for property optimization is generally applicable to other conducting metal oxides.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/maria-mid-ir-plasmonics-2015/feed/8Researchers Glimpse Distortions in Atomic Structure of Materialshttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/lebeau-revolving-stem-2015/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/lebeau-revolving-stem-2015/#commentsFri, 13 Feb 2015 15:01:32 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=223401Researchers from North Carolina State University are using a technique they developed to observe minute distortions in the atomic structure of complex materials, shedding light on what causes these distortions and opening the door to studies on how such atomic-scale variations can influence a material’s properties.

Researchers have known for years that the properties of complex materials, such as alloys, are influenced by how the material’s component atoms are organized – i.e., where the atoms fit into the material’s crystal structure. But the devil was in the details.

“We knew where the atoms were on average, but we also knew that there were variations in a material – there can be significant displacements, where atoms don’t fit into that average pattern,” says Dr. Doug Irving, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the new work.

This image shows the atomic structure and electron distribution in the LSAT crystal.Image credit: James LeBeau. Click to enlarge.

“However, detecting these distortions required indirect methods that could be difficult to interpret, so we couldn’t fully explore how a material’s atomic structure affects its properties,” says Dr. James LeBeau, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and corresponding author of a paper describing the new work.

“Now we’ve come up with a way to see the distortions directly, at the atomic scale,” LeBeau says. “We can create a precise map of atomic organization, including the distortions, within a material. Not only which atoms fit into the structure, but how far apart they are, and how distortions in the structure are related to the chemistry of the material.”

To test the technique and learn more about the links between structural distortions and chemical bonds, the researchers looked at a complex material called lanthanum strontium aluminum tantalum oxide (LSAT). They picked LSAT because there is significant variability in the nature of the chemical bonds within the material.

“It’s a mess,” LeBeau says. “We didn’t know how the complexity of those bonds influenced structural distortions, and we wanted to see if revolving STEM would give us any insights.”

It did.

The researchers found that the weaker chemical bonds that hold lanthanum and strontium in place in LSAT’s atomic structure made them more susceptible to being pushed or pulled by small variations in their chemical environment.

“We never would have been able to directly see the extent of that variation before,” LeBeau says.

“Now that we can see these subtle distortions, and know what causes them, the next step is to begin work to understand how these structural differences affect specific properties. Ultimately, we hope to use this knowledge to tailor a material’s properties by manipulating these atomic distortions.”

Abstract: Using aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy combined with advanced imaging methods, we directly observe atom column specific, picometer-scale displacements induced by local chemistry in a complex oxide solid solution. Displacements predicted from density functional theory were found to correlate with the observed experimental trends. Further analysis of bonding and charge distribution were used to clarify the mechanisms responsible for the detected structural behavior. By extending the experimental electron microscopy measurements to previously inaccessible length scales, we identified correlated atomic displacements linked to bond differences within the complex oxide structure.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/lebeau-revolving-stem-2015/feed/1Thousands Honor Slain Studentshttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/thousands-honor-slain-students/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/thousands-honor-slain-students/#commentsFri, 13 Feb 2015 01:40:11 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=223491As an emotional and wrenching day turned into Thursday evening, random snowflakes fell on the Brickyard as the NC State Muslim Students’ Association prepared for a prayer vigil for three slain members of the Wolfpack family.

That same light snow fell on the Islamic Association of Raleigh’s cemetery in Wendell, N.C., as sisters Yusor and Razan Abu-Salha of Raleigh were buried together and Yusor’s husband of six weeks, Deah Barakat, was buried nearby. The couple were NC State alumni enrolled at UNC’s dentistry school. Razan was an NC State sophomore majoring in architecture.

“To us, it was a sense of cleanliness and purity that comes from snow,” said Deah’s older brother, Farris Barakat. “Literally, every step of the way, we have had so much to laugh and smile about.”

More than 3,000 people turn out against a bitter wind to honor three slain students.

It was evident early on that the Brickyard event, a Night of Dua’a, would be a joyful remembrance of the three family members as NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and others recalled their generosity, creativity and passion for life.

There was also a prayer vigil in Chapel Hill Wednesday night, as well as dozens of others across the country.

“Please do not cry for their losses, but be joyous for their peaceful return home to their creator,” said Ali Sajjad, president of the NC State Muslim Students’ Association.

Earlier in the day, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced its own investigation into Tuesday’s triple homicide in Chapel Hill, running parallel to the investigation underway by the Chapel Hill police. A suspect, 46-year-old Craig Stephen Hicks, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

Three Caskets

An evening vigil on the Brickyard caps an emotional and wrenching week for the Wolfpack family.

Shortly after noon, the family of the three victims gathered at the Islamic Association of Raleigh mosque on the western edge of NC State’s campus for a private funeral service. Afterwards, they moved across the street, along with three caskets — one silver, one gray and one white — for a public service on the field of the Method Road Soccer Complex.

More than 5,500 mourners attended the event, which included a midday call to prayer, remembrances of the three shooting victims by the father of the two sisters, Mohammad Abu-Salha, and a funeral prayer.

“These are heavy, heavy times,” said the imam, while also offering joyful remembrances of the three young people.

The day began splashed in sun, but clouds rolled in with the funeral procession. Rain and snow speckled the afternoon during the heartbreaking burial at the cemetery 25 miles away.

No Better Legacy

By the time of the planned evening vigil and call to prayer, a strong wind and 35-degree temperatures had settled on the Brickyard. Still, more than 3,000 students, faculty, staff and members of the community were present as the candlelight vigil became a cell-phone light tribute.

Following words from McCrory, Woodson, Folt and Provost Warwick Arden, College of Design Dean Marvin Malecha extolled Razan Abu-Salha, a student in his Design Thinking class last fall.

The Night of Dua’a begins with a call to prayer.

Like her father, who called Razan “the breeze of the day,” Malecha spoke of her bright smile and caring heart.

“In the spirit of celebrating a life and a legacy, she will leave with us that gentle spirit and the determination to make this a better place for everyone,” Malecha said. “There is no better legacy than that. It’s that legacy that will help us be more creative and more determined.

“We can only hope that a lesson will be learned from this and that lesson is that we must value every point of view, every way of looking at the world, because without that point of view, we will not be innovative, we will not be creative and we will not make the kind of contribution that is expected of us in a country where we have so much to offer.”

Strength in the Pack

Two of Barakat’s older siblings spoke at the event.

“Our connection to this campus is deep,” said Farris Barakat, who also attended NC State. “I hope that means something to each and every student at NC State. I hope that means we somehow touched your heart in a way that you can live in their legacy and you can take what they did that was good and you can live it in your life.

“It is the best thing you can do for my family now. Thank you all. We love you. God bless each of you. My faith has me very strong, very happy and very comforted. I hope you are too.”

Suzanne Barakat, a multiple graduate of UNC, stood at the podium and held her arm high, flashing the wolf hand sign that is popular among NC State students and alumni. She spoke of her younger brother’s commitment to serving others and his wife and sister’s volunteer and charitable contributions to the local, national and global community.

“The message that we want to share is spread love, spread awareness because these three people were nothing but love and kindness,” she said. “I’m sure they would want you to continue that for them.”

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/thousands-honor-slain-students/feed/6Consider the Poemhttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/consider-the-poem/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/consider-the-poem/#commentsThu, 12 Feb 2015 18:15:21 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=223741Surely, there are more creative writers and accomplished poets on NC State’s campus than the humble prosaics here at the Bulletin.

We only do limericks, haiku and occasional “Roses are red” verses. Like:

There once was a T.A. in Broughton
Who wrote poetry when she oughtn’t
She won a contest
By writing the best
And considered the gains ill-gotten.

So put on your best Keats cleats and enter the NC State poetry contest, one of the largest such competitions in the South. Sponsored by the Creative Writing Program, the statewide contest offers a $500 prize to the winner and a $100 prize to the best undergraduate entry.

It’s open to all NC State undergraduates and all North Carolina residents. Previously published authors and faculty, however, are not eligible. Besides, they would just expect to be ode something. Here are all the rules and such.

Sure, you can try a 5-7-5 poem, but it will probably end up like this:

I like rough haiku:
Gritty, dirty, from the streets;
Haiku you can chew.

So stick to the good stuff. But nothing about urns, please, Grecian or otherwise.

The deadline is fast approaching: Wednesday, Feb. 25. Contestants can submit up to three poems. All entries are free.

The guest judge for this year’s contest is Gibbons Ruark, who will present the awards and read from his own work at 7:30 p.m. on March 25 in the Caldwell Hall lounge. The award-winning poet has published eight collections, received three NEA Poetry Fellowships and was included in the anthology 2009 Best American Poetry.

And he never wrote anything as awful as this:

He wrote in Harrelson’s perimeter,
And thought he was an excellent submitter.
The nametag he wore
Suggested a bore.
It read: “I Am Bic Penn-Tammeter.”

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/consider-the-poem/feed/1NC State Hosts Funeral, Vigil, Continues Counselinghttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/funeral-vigil-counseling/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/funeral-vigil-counseling/#commentsThu, 12 Feb 2015 15:47:24 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=223171As our community continues to grapple with the tragic deaths of three members of the NC State University family, a funeral service and a candlelight vigil will be held on the NC State campus today to remember, honor and celebrate the lives of Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha and Razan Abu-Salha.

The NC State community is pleased to welcome and support the many thousands of guests who will be visiting our campus today and this evening.

Funeral Service at Method Road Soccer Complex

The funeral service will be hosted by the Islamic Association of Raleigh at the Method Road Soccer Complex at 514 Method Road in Raleigh on the western edge of campus. The service is open to the public. The call to prayer will begin at 1:15 p.m. The daily prayer is scheduled to begin at 1:35 p.m. followed by the funeral service prayer.

Several thousand people are expected to attend the service. The NC State campus community is encouraged to use Wolfline routes 2,4, and 11 to get to the Method Road Soccer Complex, as parking is limited

Call to Pray and Candlelight Vigil on the Brickyard

NC State’s Muslim Student Association is hosting a call to prayer beginning at 6 p.m. followed by a candlelight vigil at approximately 6:30 p.m. on the Brickyard. The vigil is open to the public and all are welcome to attend.

A large attendance is expected for the vigil. Attendees arriving from off campus are encouraged to park in either the Dan Allen Parking Deck at 110 Dan Allen Drive, or the Coliseum Parking Deck at 201 Jeter Drive.

Ongoing Counseling Services

Representatives from NC State’s Counseling Center are available again today from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in 204 Witherspoon for informal discussion and support.

Professional counselors remain available for students throughout the day at the Counseling Center located in the Student Health Center on Cates Avenue or by phone at 515-2423. Faculty and staff can access counseling services through FASAP, the faculty and staff assistance program, by calling 866-467-0467.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/funeral-vigil-counseling/feed/0NC State Hosts Funeral, Vigil for Slain Studentshttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/nc-state-hosts-memorials/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/nc-state-hosts-memorials/#commentsThu, 12 Feb 2015 14:35:03 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=223071A funeral service and a candlelight vigil will be held on the North Carolina State University campus today for the three members of the NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill communities– Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha – tragically killed in Chapel Hill on Tuesday. Media are invited to attend.

The funeral service will be held by the Islamic Association of Raleigh at the Method Road Soccer Complex on the western edge of campus. Media are asked to be on site by noon. The call to prayer will begin at 1:15 p.m. The daily prayer is scheduled to begin at 1:35 p.m. followed by the funeral service prayer. The service is open to the public. Media are asked to adhere to the families’ wishes by refraining from using recording equipment, including cameras and microphones, on the field. News Services and other NC State staff will direct media to locations from which to cover the event. Limited media parking will be available on Ligon Street next to the soccer field.

A call to prayer and candlelight vigil sponsored by NC State’s Muslim Student Association will begin this evening at 6 p.m. on the Brickyard. The call to prayer will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the vigil at approximately 6:30 p.m. Media parking will be available on Stinson Avenue near the Brickyard.

Call News Services at 919/515-3470 with questions.

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]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/nc-state-hosts-memorials/feed/0Response to Tragic Shootinghttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/response-to-tragic-shooting/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/response-to-tragic-shooting/#commentsWed, 11 Feb 2015 19:35:45 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=222421As our community continues to grapple with the tragic deaths of three members of our Wolfpack family due to a senseless shooting, I want to provide you with some updated information.

Understandably, this violence has left many in our NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill communities feeling saddened and uneasy. I and other NC State officials have reached out to our students, particularly our Muslim students, and will continue offering support to them and the entire NC State community.

If you feel concerned or unsafe, or you just need someone to talk to about this incident, please take advantage of one of the resources listed below. I also encourage all faculty, students and staff to be sensitive to those around them and what they might be going through, and make extra efforts to take care of each other.

If you ever feel like your safety is threatened or you are in danger, the NC State University Police Department is available 24 hours a day. Call 911 for emergencies and 919-515-3000 for nonemergencies.

Professional counselors remain available for students throughout the day at the Counseling Center located in the Student Health Center on Cates Avenue or by phone at 919-515-2423. Faculty and staff can access counseling services through the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program by calling 866-467-0467.

In addition, representatives from the Counseling Center, University Housing, Student Leadership and Engagement, Chaplains’ Cooperative Ministry, the Division of Academic and Student Affairs and the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity are available until 4 p.m. today for drop-in discussion and support at the One Earth Lounge in the Talley Student Union.

There is a moment of silence planned during the NC State basketball game at PNC Arena tonight against the University of Virginia. There will be a candlelight vigil tomorrow, Feb. 12, hosted by the Muslim Student Association from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Brickyard. The vigil is open to the community.

Senseless acts like this go against all of our beliefs. As I wrote in my most recent Web letter to the campus community, a core value of NC State is respect for diversity in all its forms. We strive to maintain an environment where everyone feels safe, respected and valued.

The campus community learned in the early morning hours that a gunman shot and killed Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha and sister-in-law Razan Abu-Salha yesterday in Chapel Hill.

Barakat, a dentistry student at UNC-Chapel Hill, graduated from NC State in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Yusor Abu-Salha, who had recently been accepted into Carolina’s dentistry program, graduated from NC State last fall with a bachelor’s in biological sciences. Razan Abu-Salha was a sophomore in the College of Design majoring in architecture.

Vigils Planned

Students, faculty and staff at both NC State and Carolina were stunned by the news.

UNC-Chapel Hill students will hold a vigil 6:30 p.m. today, Feb.11, at the Pit on campus preceded by a prayer service at 6 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Carolina Union. Two Wolfline buses will leave Carmichael Gym at 5 p.m. to shuttle NC State students to Chapel Hill for these events.

NC State students will hold a vigil 6 p.m. tomorrow, Feb. 12, on the Brickyard.

Tonight, at the NC State-Virginia basketball game, there will be a moment of silence and remembrance for the three ardent Wolfpack supporters.

Funeral arrangements are still being set by the family, but a memorial service is being planned for the Raleigh Islamic Association on Thursday evening.

Married Six Weeks

“They were such beautiful souls, such good people,” said alumnus Mohammad Moussa, who met them in the Muslim Students Association. “Deah and Yusor were only married six weeks.

“I couldn’t be at their wedding, but I’ll be at their funeral.”

Alumnus Sameer Abdel-Khalek said the Barakat and Abu-Salha families are active in Raleigh’s Muslim community and are respected for their generosity and service.

Yusor Abu-Salha and Deah Barakat at Carter-Finley.

“When Deah came to NC State he was skinny and scrawny. He was like a younger sibling. Over the next four years I watched him transform into the man that he became. He was always positive, always happy. He was known for giving the strongest hugs. He would embrace you with true sentiment and you would be with him in that moment.”

Barakat was helping to raise money for a service project to provide dental services to Syrian refugees in Turkey.

“His parents are from Syria so he and his brother have gone to Syria through United Muslim Relief to help the people there,” Abdel-Khalek said. “They felt it was important for them to take action in a positive way.”

That commitment to service was evident early to Lauren Brown, who was Barakat’s academic advisor in the Poole College of Management.

“He was always happy, always smiling, always wanting to help others,” Brown said. “That started as an undergrad, and it continued well beyond his leaving here.”

Disbelief

NC State freshman basketball player Abdul-Malik Abu forged an early relationship with Barakat when the young forward first arrived on campus from Boston last fall. He attended Barakat and Abu-Salha’s wedding on Dec. 27. Barakat was both an avid basketball fan and an intramural basketball standout.

Abu posted this memory of Barakat on his Instagram page.

“When I heard the news I was in disbelief I couldn’t quite understand how this was possible,” he wrote. “I couldn’t wrap my head around the thought of you and your beautiful wife no longer being alive. You supported me before you met me and showed unconditional love when you did…

“We didn’t grow up together but when I heard the news I was hurt like I’ve known you my whole life. I just wanna say thank you to you and your wife and family for the support and making North Carolina feel like home. Rest in peace brother and sisters… May Allah bless all three of you with the highest heaven. I know you’ll always and forever be an NC State supporter.

“Rest easy my dude.”

Razan Abu-Salha recently made the dean’s list in the College of Design.

Lisa Parks, an associate professor of biological sciences, recalled Yusor Abu-Salha as a quick study who was “incredibly patient” in helping fellow students learn in a senior-level cell biology class.

As her academic advisor, Parks also had regular contact with Abu-Salha outside the classroom.

“I remember when she got engaged, she ran into my office to show me her ring,” Parks said. “She’d stop by to talk about an article she read, her wedding plans, her classes. She was quietly intelligent and humble. She was empathic.”

Microbiology professor Alice Lee, who taught Abu-Salha in fall 2012, recalled a student who “felt very strongly about human health and welfare.”

“I am honored to have known you and to be able to call you a friend. You were one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met,” she wrote. “I know that you’re in a much better place now, but I still am selfish and wish that we all would have had another day with you.”

Another classmate, architecture student Waad Husein, said Razan would help anyone in need.

“She was the nicest person I’ve ever met,” Husein said. “And she was very funny, too. She used sarcasm sometimes, but it was lighthearted. She was loving and caring, always giving.”

Doha Hindi, a sophomore in science, technology and society, grew up with Razan. They first met in the first grade and remained close through their graduation at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh and their time together at NC State.

“She was honestly a very funny person,” Hindi said. “What I will always remember is all the funny things she did to make me laugh. We were all together just the other day, wearing our pajamas and messing around and laughing.

“She shared so much happiness with the world.

“What is most important to remember about all three of them is how each one of them was committed to service and making the world a better place. It was always their top priority. They volunteered in this community and in other countries. They all made a huge impact on the lives of others.”

A Facebook page created early Wednesday morning that celebrated the accomplishments and shared memories of the three lost lives had nearly 50,000 members by midafternoon Wednesday.

The Barakat family issued a statement Wednesday afternoon:

“We are devastated at the senseless murder of my brother Deah Barakat, his beautiful wife Yusor Abu-Salha and her sister Razan Abu-Salha. We are shocked that there would be anyone plagued with so much hate in their heart to execute three living human beings. Deah was an extraordinary brother, student and engaged citizen. Between the stresses of being a dental student he always found time to invest in those less fortunate with his wife at his side. Raising funds for aid to Syrian refugees and feeding the homeless in the local area are just a glimpse of what our brother Deah, Yusor and Razan stood for. They weren’t just Americans, they were extraordinary Americans who loved their faith and their community. We call on the local police department, the FBI and all other authorities to ensure that our family gets justice.”

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/gone-too-soon/feed/195 Questions on Digital Learninghttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/5-questions-on-digital-learning/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/5-questions-on-digital-learning/#commentsWed, 11 Feb 2015 17:57:20 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=222521NC State is hosting the national kickoff of a bold new effort to help school districts make the most of digital learning. The Future Ready Summit Feb. 11-12 at the Friday Institute is helping school districts in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia create their own digital learning plans. NC State is partnering with the the Alliance for Excellent Education, the White House and the U.S. Department of Education on 12 summits across the nation this spring.

Mary Ann Wolf, director of digital learning programs at the Friday Institute, will moderate several of the summits. She took time to explain digital learning technology’s potential for students.

Why is this a critical time to focus on digital learning?

Digital learning has the potential to increase opportunities to meet the needs of each student.

Schools can accelerate the transition to digital learning by taking advantage of growing access to the Internet and technology, using data and content systems that identify and make recommendations for what students need, and choosing instructional strategies that take advantage of the digital content, tools and resources. Here’s why this digital learning transition is critical.

Engaging and effective approach: The way students learn is changing and schools need to adapt. Studies have shown that students are more engaged when they use technology. If the technology use is purposefully designed, this can lead to increases in achievement.

Equity: Across the nation, the achievement gap is widening and will continue to grow as some have access to the opportunities technology offers and others do not. Bringing digital learning to all schools can help level that playing field.

Personalization: We know more about how students learn than ever before. Technology and digital learning allow teachers to get more information about their learners and use that information more efficiently than ever before.

College and career readiness now includes digital citizenship. We have to teach students how to responsibly use their devices and the Internet. Additionally, students need to be ready to collaborate, think critically, be creative and communicate in a wide range of contexts. Digital learning and interacting with people around the globe increases those competencies.

Why was NC State chosen to host the first of the Future Ready Summit sessions?

The Friday Institute at NC State was chosen because of its commitment to innovation in education, its experience in leading digital learning initiatives, like the NC Digital Learning Plan and the Digital Learning Transition MOOC-Ed, and its expertise in designing and implementing professional learning opportunities. The Friday Institute is a Future Ready coalition partner and has been integral in developing content for the summits. Nancy Mangum and I from the Friday Institute will be moderating several of the summits, and the Friday Institute developed and will lead the Professional Learning strand. Our colleagues Lauren Acree, Abbey Futrell and Mark Samberg will facilitate professional learning sessions at the summits.

Describe the Future Ready Summit’s purpose.

The Future Ready Summit is designed to provide school district teams, which include superintendents, with the opportunity to understand where they are in the digital learning transition, learn about strategies and action steps that will support their efforts to become Future Ready, collaborate with experts and other districts to further their work and have dedicated team time.

Each team is bringing a Future Ready self-assessment that they took prior to the summit, and they will have a chance to further their knowledge and develop an action plan for the digital learning transition. They should leave with specific steps to continue the work. More information on the summit is online.

Bring us up to date on efforts to improve digital learning in North Carolina schools.

North Carolina is well positioned to continue to be a leader in the transition to digital learning. The Friday Institute is in the process of developing the NC Digital Learning Plan. This is a comprehensive effort to understand the assets and needs in digital learning across the state, involves extensive research and stakeholder input, and includes site visits to 16 districts and several charter schools across the state.

We’re building on previous work in North Carolina. Here’s an excerpt from the first Digital Learning Plan Policy Brief: “This transition has already begun in North Carolina at the state, district, and school levels. The School Connectivity and K-12 Cloud Computing initiatives place North Carolina at the national forefront in providing the robust broadband access and related software and services that are foundational to the transition. The North Carolina Virtual Public School has expanded curriculum offerings through virtual learning for students throughout the state. The Home Base system will continue to provide teachers, students, parents and administrators with real-time access to student data and teaching and learning resources. Many of the state’s educators have already gained firsthand experience as digital-age learners in virtual and blended professional development programs. Most importantly, districts and schools throughout the state are deeply engaged in innovative local digital learning initiatives — including Mooresville Graded School District, which has become a national model. The challenge moving forward is to pull these important initiatives together into a coherent long-term strategy that sets directions, supports innovation, provides resources, and removes barriers, so that the State’s educators and students will benefit fully from digital content and tools.”

What are the biggest challenges schools face related to digital learning?

Although districts and schools are making progress in the digital learning transition, they face many challenges. The key in this transition is that the digital learning strives for a transformation to student-centered, personalized learning to meet the needs of each student. The emphasis is on the learning, rather than just digital. Districts have to ensure that administrators and educators have the capacity to implement digital learning, as it is a continuously evolving area. This requires ongoing, job-embedded professional learning opportunities to provide them with the tools and resources they need. Another struggle for districts is adequate access to devices and Internet, especially at home. Districts are also working to transition to digital content, which raises many questions about open education resources, teacher created materials and subscriptions, rather than traditional textbooks. Lastly, funding also emerges as a consistent challenge. This transition often includes several initial costs, as well as ongoing expenses that need to be planned for in order to ensure the support and resources needed for the digital learning transition.

]]>https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/5-questions-on-digital-learning/feed/1NC State Researchers Land UNC System Research Grantshttps://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/roi-grants-2015/
https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/02/roi-grants-2015/#commentsWed, 11 Feb 2015 13:01:19 +0000https://news.ncsu.edu/?p=222281The University of North Carolina General Administration has awarded six three-year grants totaling nearly $9 million to support game-changing faculty research in areas of strategic importance to the state – and North Carolina State University is a partner in five of the six research initiatives. Each of the funded projects involves faculty partners from two or more UNC campuses.

Faculty teams from NC State, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte, North Carolina Central University, and East Carolina University will use the first UNC Research Opportunities Initiative (ROI) awards to advance collaborative research projects that range from developing new carbon electronics to supporting big-data science analytics to engineering new drug-delivery technologies to speeding the large-scale manufacturing of vaccines against deadly viruses such as Ebola.

UNC ROI is funded by a recurring $3-million annual appropriation from the 2014 General Assembly, representing North Carolina’s first financial investment in the UNC system’s five-year strategic plan. Priority research areas eligible for ROI funding include advanced manufacturing; marine and coastal science; defense, military, and security; pharmacoengineering; energy; and data sciences.

“The ROI provides targeted funding for innovative and potentially game-changing projects,” said Christopher Brown, UNC Vice President for Research and Graduate Education. “These awards, which will advance cutting-edge research at UNC institutions, also demonstrate legislators’ growing appreciation of the role university research can play in supporting economic development across our state.”

Following a competitive process that began with 74 pre-proposals seeking $105 million in total funding, the winning proposals were selected through a rigorous review process led by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Summaries of funded three-year projects involving NC State follow:

NC Carbon Materials Initiative: Materials Design, Processing, and Manufacturing for Defense and Energy Needs, NC State University: $2,829,994. Partnering institutions include North Carolina Central University and UNC-Chapel Hill. Led by Harald Ade, NC State distinguished professor of physics.

Carbon electronics may offer new opportunities to address energy, defense, and manufacturing challenges. Traditional silicon-based materials are rapidly approaching their fundamental limits in terms of miniaturization and capacity. The work of Professor Ade and his colleagues will focus on carbon materials characterization and manufacturing. Investigators envision fundamental science advances that will open the door to revolutionary computing approaches, truly renewable energy sources, and self-sustaining systems such as self-powered greenhouses and integrated solar cell/algae growth ponds.

The natural salinity gradients along the North Carolina coast are an untapped yet significant energy resource. This project will advance a cutting-edge technology that can harness these gradients for electricity generation, energy storage, and wastewater treatment. The team, which includes multiple UNC universities, local start-up companies, consultants, and coastal utilities, will conduct a comprehensive technical, economic, and environmental assessment of this technology and its impact on North Carolina. The findings will help expand North Carolina’s clean energy sector, attract industrial investment, and provide foundational research for future funding opportunities in coastal energy technology development.

Pharmacoengineering: Integrating Engineering with Pharmaceutical Sciences to Improve the Delivery of Therapeutic and Diagnostic Agents, UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State: $1,830,000. Led by Michael Jay, UNC-Chapel Hill distinguished professor and chair of molecular pharmaceutics, and Frances Ligler, distinguished professor of biomedical engineering at NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill.

Investigators at UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State will lead pioneering efforts in the new field of pharmacoengineering–the marriage of pharmaceutical science with state-of-the-art engineering. They will collaborate to develop novel solutions to difficult challenges in therapeutic drug-delivery technologies to patients. Partnering scientists will focus on 1) the immune response to engineered nanomaterials to understand how the human body reacts to man-made materials intended for clinical use; and 2) developing genetically engineered non-embryonic stem cells for treating brain cancer and for heart regeneration.

Data science innovations are essential to solving some of the nation’s most significant science, education, and workforce challenges. Investigators propose to develop strategic research hubs of excellence that will position North Carolina as the national leader in fundamental and applied research in data science. The project will involve setting up a sustainable cloud-based infrastructure to enable big data collaborations, partnerships, and research initiatives that will bring together investigators from academia and industry, initially focusing on the problem of risk mitigation. These research activities have the potential to promote a sustainable big data science research and talent pipeline for North Carolina.

Bioengineering microalgae for large-scale production of therapeutic antibodies against Ebola, West Nile virus and rabies, North Carolina Central University: $600,000. Partnering Institutions include UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State. Led by TinChung Leung, NCCU assistant professor of biology.

The deadly Ebola virus could potentially affect more than a million patients in 2015. The experimental drug ZMapp has been effective in saving patients who were critically ill, yet it is in short supply, and the production process takes several months to generate even small amounts of the drug. To fill this gap, researchers at NCCU, UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State will use a microalgae system to generate anti-Ebola antibodies rapidly and cost-effectively. As unicellular plants, algae can be cultured continuously to produce therapeutic proteins. Using bioengineered microalgae will speed up the biomanufacturing process of therapeutic antibodies against Ebola and other diseases.